In celebration of Star Wars' 40th anniversary, Vanity Fair released four exclusive covers Wednesday featuring the stars from the next movie, The Last Jedi. It's the first time the magazine has released alternate covers since Annie Leibovitz photographed The Phantom Menace cast in 1999, and Vanity Fair's partnership with Lucasfilm has continued ever since.

Leibovitz shot the cast of Star Wars: The Last Jedi on location in England and Ireland in May 2016. The late Carrie Fisher scored a solo cover in costume as General Leia Organa. The three other covers feature Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma), Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux) and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren); Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), John Boyega (Finn), Kelly Marie Tran (Rose Tico) and BB-8; and Daisy Ridley (Rey) and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker). Leibovitz's full portfolio will be published online Wednesday in conjunction with a story written by David Kamp. The issue will be on newsstands in L.A. and New York City May 31 and nationally June 6.

• Luke and Rey stand beside each other on a blustery cliff on the planet Ahch-To.

• Kylo Ren is scarred after his lightsaber battle with Rey in 2015's Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

• Captain Phasma is no longer wearing her helmet—and she appears to have a new weapon.

In the article, director Rian Johnson talks about Fisher's spirit, while Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy reflects on the role Leia was meant to play in the trilogy's final installment.

"We're still editing, but we're very far along," the director told moderator Josh Gad during the Star Wars Celebration event in Orlando last month, adding, "It's all coming together...We had the time of our lives making this movie. It was such a joyful experience, from top to bottom."

Fisher, who died unexpectedly in December 2016, gives an "extraordinary" performance, Kennedy added. And Fisher, who'd been playing the role since 1977, is "remarkable" onscreen.

Meanwhile, Hamill—who didn't appear onscreen until the final scene of The Force Awakens—didn't share any spoilers on the panel. "I might be one of the most valuable characters to Lucasfilm—not because I'm a legacy character, but thanks to short term memory loss, I don't remember what I had for breakfast," he said. "I'm joking, but even when I went in and did ADR and saw this footage, it was like an out of body experience. It's so contained in its own world."

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is in theaters Dec. 15, 2017. Watch the trailer here.